Floor Statements

Madam Chair, I thank the ranking member for yielding.

Madam Chair, I rise again today in opposition to the political ultimatum that has poisoned this bill.

I had anticipated that I would support Chairwoman Lowey's proposal to provide disaster relief to American families struggling to rebuild from recent disasters like Hurricane Michael that devastated my home State of Florida.

I do thank her and her staff for the hard work that they have done in putting together this disaster relief bill. However, in the dark of night, the majority leadership slipped into this bill another continuing resolution that they know will hold this bill back from ever becoming signed into law.

Some on the other side have asked why adding a CR would be a poison pill

in this measure. The answer is really simple: This bill will never be considered by the Senate or signed by the President. Leadership knows this, but they continue to place politics over helping hardworking, taxpaying American citizens.

So what are we here to accomplish? Is the majority trying to help American citizens recover or simply content to blame the President while punishing hardworking taxpayers who have been devastated by natural disasters, including those, by the way, in the Speaker's home State of California? Those folks are desperately in need of this relief as they recover from devastating wildfires.

Instead of doing the right thing and passing a clean disaster relief bill, the other side of the aisle continues to play childish games in an effort to resist the President's call for border security.

If the goal of this bill is to provide disaster relief, why on Earth would the majority attach something that effectively ensures its defeat?

Madam Chair, this move has again effectively victimized those devastated by hurricanes and fire.

It is time to accept the reality of the situation in which we find ourselves. Compromise is the only path forward. President Trump has made clear, I believe, that he is ready to negotiate and to compromise. But this bill before us today could have provided much-needed relief to Florida families recovering from Hurricane Michael. It is not just those families who will suffer. It is the Florida farmers who had their crops decimated by the storm, and the Americans who rely on them, who will suffer also.

Madam Chair, we are 26 days into this shutdown, and leadership is still playing these games. If the majority is serious about providing disaster relief, bring a clean supplemental funding bill to the floor and stop playing games with so many hurting American lives.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill. Another week has gone by and we find ourselves with another exercise in futility.

As I said last week, these CRs are a waste of everyone's time and a waste of countless hours of hard work by members of staff on both sides of the aisle.

While we waste floor time and the American citizens' time, there are 800,000 families--and more--that are feeling the negative effects of the gamesmanship on the other side of the aisle. These effects are not limited to government employees. Contractors, small businesses, and the economy at large have been suffering for weeks.

Just the other day, in Jacksonville, I spoke with the father of a government subcontractor who explained to me how much this shutdown has hurt his son's livelihood.

Now, this idea that once the government is opened back up and government employees are going to receive their backpay, as I am sure most eventually will, there are many across this country who will not. His son is one of them.

And just to prove how ridiculous this entire thing is, due to the recalcitrance of Democrats, experts say that this shutdown has already cost our economy more than the President's request for the wall.

My colleagues on the other side of aisle want to score political points by denying our duly-elected President a campaign promise, a simple promise to protect the American citizen.

Rather than focusing energy on reaching a compromise with the Senate and the President to reopen the government and get Federal workers their paychecks, we are spending time on our bills, bringing bills to the floor that have absolutely no chance of becoming law.

Here is my message to the House majority: Stop using working-class Americans as leverage and come to the table to find a compromise on behalf of the American people.

I have said it before, and I will say it again: If the Speaker is serious about opening the government and getting people back to work, bring a bill to the floor that the Senate will pass and the President will sign.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this bill.

Rather than focusing energy on reaching a compromise with the Senate and the President to reopen the government and get those Federal workers their paychecks, my colleagues across the aisle are spending time bringing bills to the floor that have absolutely no chance of passing and becoming law. The bill is a waste of everyone's time and a waste of countless hours of hard work by Members and staff on both sides of the aisle.

Last Congress, my colleagues and I on the Appropriations Committee worked hard for many months in a bipartisan and bicameral way to pass a Transportation and Housing and Urban Development funding bill on time. In fact, Mr. Speaker, we passed that bill in the House in July of last year.

Then, in December, when we were looking at a looming shutdown, my colleagues and I in the House passed a funding package that would have kept the government open and provided an additional $5 billion for border security and $9 billion for initial disaster assistance to American citizens in those communities devastated by hurricanes and fires.

Instead, here we are, bringing to the floor a bill that ignores the bipartisan work of my House colleagues.

This bill today provides less funding for our ports, highways, and air traffic control. It provides less housing for people with disabilities, our veterans, and those living with HIV and AIDS. Also, it doesn't include the oversight and accountability provisions that were added by the House. On top of all that, the President has already said he will not sign the bill into law.

As we waste the House's time, and, quite frankly, the people's time, on this bill, 800,000 Federal workers are suffering. All our Nation's transportation systems are becoming less efficient. Many functions of our air, rail, maritime, and highway transportation are being held up by furloughs and understaffing. Those essential personnel who are required to show up, they go unpaid for their work. This is unjust and immoral.

Mr. Speaker, I implore the Speaker of the House and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to put aside these partisan tactics and bring to the floor bills we have already worked on through regular order and with bipartisan agreement.

It is very simple. If the Speaker is truly serious about opening the government and getting people back to work, bring a bill to the floor that the Senate can pass and the President will sign into law.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are calling the situation at the southern border a manufactured crisis. What a heartless and naive thing to say.

Tell that to the families of almost 300 people who die every week from the heroin flooding across our southern border.

Tell that to the ICE agents who seized enough synthetic opioids in 2017 to kill every single American by overdose.

Or come on down with me to the 2100 block of Jefferson Street in Jacksonville, Florida, and you tell that to the medical examiner who saw, in 2017, the highest rate of fentanyl-related deaths in the entire State of Florida.

A manufactured crisis? Hardly, Mr. Speaker.

Thankfully, the experts at DHS who are on the ground doing the good work to protect us understand what is necessary to combat this crisis, and they have asked Congress for our help. These DHS professionals have told us that security at the border requires a multilayered approach that includes additional personnel, increased technology, access roads, and, yes, a wall.

The wall is not and never has been the beginning and end to border security, but it is an important part of a comprehensive security plan. Let's give the DHS the money for the wall, get out of the way, and let the folks on the ground do their job.

Mr. Speaker, I have spent 41 years of my life as a law enforcement officer, including 12 years as sheriff. One thing I know firsthand is the judgment of the patrolman should amplify larger than the back- office bureaucrat. Listen to those in operations. Those who would argue against the pleas of the DHS either haven't seen what is really going on or are intentionally ignoring the crisis.

For my friends on the other side of the aisle who are calling this a manufactured crisis, they know this isn't about the $5 billion for the wall. In fact, most of them at one time or another have already voted to fund a wall. To them, it is really about not wanting to support our President. It is about being part of a resistance movement.

If you want to talk about a manufactured crisis, I can point you in the right direction, because it is manufactured in Central America, it is manufactured in South America, and it is being manufactured by drug cartels to be trafficked north and smuggled across the southern border and into our communities. I have seen firsthand the lives destroyed and the communities torn apart by this scourge coming through our porous southern border.

This bickering over one-tenth of 1 percent of our annual budget has become a hyperbolic political football, putting lives at risk. I say, enough, Mr. Speaker. Our Federal law enforcement officers on the ground at the border have asked for our help, and we have a solemn obligation to give them what they need to keep Americans safe.

A manufactured crisis? Hardly, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I was held up by Committee business.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on Roll Call No. 449 and ``yea'' on Roll Call No. 456.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Raines High School football team for winning the Florida 4A State championship and, also, the Mandarin High School football team for winning the Florida 8A State championship.

Raines High School now has won two straight State titles, while Mandarin just captured their first State football championship ever. This marks the first time in history that two public schools from Duval County, Florida, have won the State championship in the same season.

Football is a big part of Florida culture. Many kids grow up with dreams of winning the championship under those Friday night lights, and these student athletes have demonstrated the commitment and work ethic to be successful both on the field and in the classroom.

I congratulate them for bringing home some hardware to northeast Florida where it belongs, and I look forward to more championships to come.

Congratulations once again to Mandarin and Raines football on a victory these players will remember for the rest of their lives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Jennifer Albert from Fernandina Beach, Florida, for winning the Milken Educator Award.

This award recognizes innovative teachers, principals, and education specialists around the country who have made exceptional contributions to their profession.

Ms. Albert teaches science and math to fifth graders at Emma Love Hardee Elementary School in Nassau County, and was the only teacher in the State of Florida chosen for this prestigious award.

Our educators are tasked with the awesome responsibility of teaching the next generation of Americans, and Ms. Albert has inspired all of us with her creativity and commitment to student achievement.

Her use of small groups, project-based learning, and games even, has elevated her class to 81 percent proficiency in science, and 79 percent proficiency in math. These are impressive numbers to speak to the success of her positive and innovative techniques.

On behalf of the Fourth District of Florida and the students and parents of Emma Love Hardee Elementary School, I want to thank Ms. Albert for her lifelong dedication to excellence in the classroom, and congratulations on receiving the recognition she so well deserves.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Ms. Carrie Johnson, a Lincolnville icon who, sadly, passed away earlier this week in St. Augustine, Florida.

Depending on whom you talked to, Ms. Johnson had many different names. To some, she was ``St. Augustine's Sweetheart'' or the ``Voice of Lincolnville.'' To others, she was simply ``Miss Carrie.'' But to all of us, she will always be remembered as an irreplaceable piece of our northeast Florida community who truly lived to serve others.

Born out of her life's creed, ``A mission of love, a message of hope,'' she began a foundation for homeless students in St. Johns County. She organized annual Christmas caroling to nursing homes, and she was even considered an honorary officer by the local police, who loved her and who often came to her for guidance.

She could be seen on any given day riding her ``Lamborghini'' tricycle around town, spreading kindness and hope to everyone she met.

Her passing will leave a hole that can only be filled with the countless stories of the people whom she touched.

I am thankful for her dedication to making the world a better place for those around her and grateful that her memory lives on forever. She was a mission of love and a message of hope.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the service and sacrifice of Corporal William Eierman, a member of the Jacksonville Beach Police Department. Cpl. Eierman is being honored today with the Medal of Valor and Law Enforcement Purple Heart.

On August 8, 2018, after hearing of gunshots, Cpl. Eierman ran toward a scene where a suspect had shot a marked patrol car and was fleeing from officers. While pursuing the suspect, Cpl. Eierman engaged with him and was shot twice. Thanks to Cpl. Eierman's heroism, no one else was hurt and the individual was brought to justice.

Officer Eierman is a dedicated father and husband who has served the Jacksonville Beach community for 16 years as a member of Jacksonville Beach Police Department after previously working as a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office corrections officer. In addition to being a family man, Cpl. Eierman is active in his church and always looking for ways to give back to the community he serves.

On behalf of a grateful community, I want to thank Cpl. William Eierman for the courage he displayed on that day, and every day. We thank you for your service and wish you a speedy recovery.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Brian Kelly from Jacksonville, Florida, who has been named a 2018 Angels in Adoption honoree. This Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute award recognizes and honors outstanding individuals who have made contributions to the adoption community.

For more than 25 years, Brian Kelly has worked as an adoption attorney. Through his work at his law firm and at Jacksonville Legal Aid, Brian has touched, literally, thousands of lives promoting adoption in northeast Florida. He has also worked with the Florida bar to encourage the practice of adoption laws across the State.

In addition to his professional work, Brian has devoted his life to serving his community, whether it be serving his church or chairing the board of directors at Angelwood, a center in Jacksonville that provides services to people with developmental disabilities. Brian has dedicated countless hours in service to others.

I have had the opportunity to get to know Brian throughout his work, and I am pleased to honor him today on behalf of the many grateful families of northeast Florida. I commend Brian Kelly for this much- deserved honor of being named a 2018 Angels in Adoption honoree.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 72) expressing the sense of Congress that child safety is the first priority of custody and visitation adjudications, and that State courts should improve adjudications of custody where family violence is alleged, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 72, currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased we are voting today on this resolution, which expresses the sense of Congress that child safety should be the top priority of custody and visitation adjudications, and that State courts should improve adjudications of custody where family violence is alleged.

Custody adjudications are especially difficult cases, fraught with emotion and complex relationships. States must ensure that the judges presiding over these cases are trained to understand these dynamics and apply appropriate evidentiary standards to parties' evidence.

Most importantly, States should ensure that in these disputes, children's safety comes first.

We have seen tragedies happen throughout the United States where the courts failed the children involved in custody disputes. Over the past decade, the Center for Judicial Excellence has documented 653 child homicides across the United States by a parent involved in a conflict related to divorce, separation, custody, visitation, or child support.

Last year, Ana Estevez's 5-year-old son, Piqui, was murdered by her ex-husband. Despite her efforts to obtain sole custody of Piqui due to her ex-husband's history of abuse, her plea was rejected.

Her estranged husband picked up Piqui, as part of their joint custody arrangement, and took him to Disneyland. That was the last time Ms. Estevez saw her son.

His body was found 2 months later, and her estranged husband eventually confessed to the murder, a tragedy that should never have happened.

Today, we take a step in expressing to States that they must pay special attention to these cases. We hope States will heed this resolution and resolve to evaluate their family court systems and implement measures to put child safety first.

I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions) for bringing this resolution before us. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions).

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank the gentlewoman for her comments and for her hard work on this resolution. I also want to thank Chairman Sessions for bringing this forward today.

I want to encourage all of my colleagues here to vote in the affirmative for H. Con. Res. 72.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6580) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for expedited naturalization processes for the alien spouses of first responders who die as a result of their employment, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 6580, currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon), my home State.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6580, the Kerrie Orozco First Responders Family Support Act. This legislation is short, but it will have an immense impact on the lives of close family members of certain first responders who die as a result of injury and illness occurring in the line of duty.

The Immigration and Nationality Act currently requires that, in order to naturalize and become a United States citizen, a lawful permanent resident must reside continuously in the United States for 5 years prior to naturalization. For spouses, that residency requirement is 3 years. H.R. 6580 waives that residency requirement altogether for the surviving spouse, child, or parent of a Federal, State, or local first responder who dies as a result of injury or illness incurred during line of duty activities as a first responder.

There is precedent in immigration law for such a waiver. In fact, the language of H.R. 6580 is patterned on the current law, which waives the same residency requirements for the surviving spouse, child, or parent of a military servicemember killed while in Active-Duty service in the Armed Forces.

First responders routinely place their lives in peril to help those of us who are in need, and when they are killed or injured carrying out their duties, we owe their families a deep debt of gratitude. H.R. 6580 is a small price to pay in return for the sacrifice that first responders make every day.

The legislation was named after Kerrie Orozco, an Omaha, Nebraska, police officer, killed while serving an arrest warrant on May 20, 2015. At the time of Officer Orozco's death, her husband was in the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. H.R. 6580 will speed up that process and make sure other surviving immediate relatives in the same situation are afforded the same opportunity.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the work of the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon) on this important piece of legislation.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1872) to promote access for United States officials, journalists, and other citizens to Tibetan areas of the People's Republic of China, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 1872, currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1872, the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018, addresses an issue of longstanding and increasing concern regarding China's treatment of Tibetans living in the Tibet Autonomous Region, also known as TAR, and other Tibetan areas controlled by China.

In 1950, the Chinese People's Liberation Army went into Tibet in order to establish control over the region. In the years since then, as noted by the U.S. Department of State, the Chinese Government has ``imposed severe restrictions on Tibetans' ability to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms.'' Such restrictions occur with regard to religious practice, freedom of travel, freedom to practice cultural and language preferences, and other aspects of everyday life.

In addition, the Chinese Government routinely engages in human rights abuses, such as extrajudicial killings, torture, and arbitrary arrest. In fact, the Chinese Government's actions are so severe that, in recent years, over 150 Tibetans have self-immolated in a last-ditch effort to get the rest of the world to focus on this problem.

In order to prevent documentation of the religious freedom restrictions and other human rights abuses to the outside world, the Government of China has severely limited access by foreign nationals to these Tibetan regions. Such limitations prevent access to U.S. officials seeking diplomatic and consular access, journalists, human rights workers, and even tourists. When rare access is granted, activities are closely monitored by the PRC and information dissemination is restricted.

Matteo Mecacci, the president of the International Campaign for Tibet, has stated that the Chinese leadership is seeking to enforce complete isolation of Tibet, often described as being worse than in North Korea, where at least some foreign media are based. Independent international observers are shut out of Tibet or allowed to visit only under strictly controlled circumstances, while numerous delegations of party officials face no obstacles in traveling to Western democracies to spread their propaganda.

In fact, travel by Chinese nationals, including those with direct and substantial involvement in the formulation of policies to restrict access to Tibet, is routinely allowed by governments all over the world, including the United States. During fiscal year 2017, for instance, nearly 1.5 million tourist visas were issued by the United States to Chinese nationals. Those visas are valid for 10 years, during which the Chinese nationals can visit the United States multiple times. During that same period, the United States issued nearly 4,500 diplomatic visas to Chinese officials.

H.R. 1872 prohibits an individual who is ``substantially involved in the formulation or execution of policies related to access for foreigners to Tibetan areas'' from being granted a U.S. visa if the Secretary determines that: one, the requirement for specific official permission for foreigners to enter the Tibet Autonomous Region remains in effect; or, two, such requirement has been replaced by a regulation that has a similar effect and requires foreign travelers to gain a level of permission to enter the Tibet Autonomous Region that is not required for travel to other provinces in China; and, three, restrictions on travel by officials, journalists, and citizens of the United States to areas designated as ``Tibetan Autonomous'' in the provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai, Yunnan, Gansu of China are greater than any restrictions on travel by such officials and citizens to areas in such provinces that are not so designated. Any visas currently held by such individuals will be revoked under the bill.

The bill then requires the State Department to report annually to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees as well as the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the number of actions taken regarding visas pursuant to this legislation.

According to the State Department, in recent years, there have been very small inroads made with regard to access to the Tibetan areas. And while some have expressed the concern that maybe this bill could make the Chinese Government roll back some of those inroads, moving this bill is the right thing to do. It is time that Congress takes a stand with regard to access by foreign nationals to the Tibetan regions.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congressman McGovern for his work on this issue.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Foreign Affairs,

Washington, DC, August 31, 2018.

Hon. Bob Goodlatte,

Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Goodlatte: Thank you for consulting with the

Foreign Affairs Committee regarding H.R. 1872, the Reciprocal

Access to Tibet Act, and for considering our input during

your markup of the bill. I agree that the Foreign Affairs

Committee may be discharged from further consideration of

that measure, so that it may proceed expeditiously to the

House floor.

I am writing to confirm our mutual understanding that

forgoing further action on this measure does not in any way

diminish, alter, or prejudice the jurisdiction of the

Committee on Foreign Affairs, its jurisdictional prerogatives

on this bill or similar legislation, or its right to seek an

appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate

conference involving this bill.

I ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter

be included in the Congressional Record during floor

consideration of H.R. 1872.

Sincerely,

Edward R. Royce,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the minority leader for her comments on this issue and strong bipartisan support for human rights, not only in Tibet but all over the globe. Really, this is a great moment, I think, for this body.

I will repeat again that it is time that Congress takes a stand with regard to access by foreign nationals to the Tibetan regions. Again, I want to thank Congressman McGovern for his work on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1872, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavailable and missed Roll Call Vote 390. Had I been present, I would have voted ``Nay'' on Roll Call No. 390.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor our United States Navy's chief petty officers and their families and loved ones who are gathering today at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena and Wall for CPO Pride Day. This annual event celebrating their service is held in different regions across the country, and I can tell you, it holds significance for me.

Mr. Speaker, my father, James A. Rutherford, was a young sailor who was deployed abroad on the USS Waccamaw the day I was born in September of 1952. He proudly worked his way through the ranks to later attain the position of chief petty officer.

Like so many military families both then and now, my father and other CPOs sacrificed a great deal to defend our freedoms.

Mr. Speaker, chief petty officers are the backbone of the Navy, responsible for training junior officers. They lead a division of sailors and petty officers and inspire them to be part of something bigger than themselves.

North Florida is incredibly proud to be home to so many sailors and their families, and our community gratefully celebrates chief petty officers today, for we owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.

Congratulations and best wishes to them on this CPO Pride Day.